The present invention relates to a hydraulic fluid reservoir and more particularly relates to such a reservoir which is so constructed and located on a vehicle that a fan driven by the vehicle engine draws air across various surfaces of the reservoir to thereby provide forced convection cooling for the fluid contained in the reservoir.
Vehicles are often provided with hydraulically powered elements such as brakes, clutches and transmissions or the like. In the case of industrial vehicles such as tractors or the like, hydraulically controlled equipment is usually mounted on the vehicle. Such wide use of hydraulically operated components necessitates the need for relatively large hydraulic fluid reservoirs to be mounted on the vehicle. Conventionally, such reservoirs have been placed in areas on the vehicle so as to have the exteriors of the reservoirs exposed to ambient air so that heat generated in the oil by its passage through the various components will be dissipated through the reservoir walls to the air when the hydraulic fluid returns to the reservoir. In some instances, this manner of cooling has been found inadequate resulting in a breakdown of the hydraulic fluid which in turn results in poor component performance or even damage to the components.